Scars
by Transformersfan123
Summary: Humanized! There's another one, and Six assures them that he is theirs, so they go. But Nine doesn't want them. Once they catch him, they bring him back. But it's not home to him. He knows their stories, but he doesn't want them to know his shameful past. What happened left permanent marks. He feels like a problem. A monster. A beast. How could they want somebody so broken?
1. Another One?

Here's a new Nine story with a different twist. This is humanized and set in modern day. And to clarify ages: Three, Four, & Six are 16; Five, Seven, & Nine are 17; Eight is 18; Two is 19, but he's a prodigy, so that explains the med school; One is 20; and Zero is about 24.

This is a new shot for me. It's going to get a little intense in a couple chapters when we get into their pasts and why they've come together.

* * *

"There is another one?" One asked slowly, leaning on his staff.

Six nodded, his black, shoulder-length, wild hair going in every direction. His silvery eyes were wide, and One hummed as he took in the news.

"So?" Two asked after a few minutes of thoughtful silence. "What are we waiting for?"

"Where is he?" One asked, ignoring the second of their number.

"He's going to be in Israel in three days."

"Israel…" One hummed then shrugged. "Zero! Buy us airline tickets to Israel!"

"How many?" Zero asked, tapping on the keyboard.

"Eight. You are our base of operations. We'll need cellphones."

"Already got those covered," Zero said, heaving up a box. He handed each of his companions a cellphone.

"These are also videophones, GPS, internet, pretty much your standard iPhone, save they're better because _I_ made them."

"Of course," Five said with a smile. "But what satellites are they going to be linked to?"

"All of them," Zero said with a grin. "So you should have no trouble whatsoever getting internet or coverage."

He went through a brief demonstration with them then got the tickets.

"Your flight leaves in four hours. I suggest getting down to the airport," Zero said with a nod. "Eat on the way there. You've got only brief layovers."

"Thank you, Zero," One said, then they packed a few things and left.

Two drove one car, Seven the other. Six rode with One, Two, and Eight.

"Tell us more about this Nine," One said, looking back at him.

Six blushed and looked down, playing with his hair. "I…I would rather you just meet him."

Eight glanced at him. "You okay, Six?"

"Huh?"

"You never say stuff like that. You tell us as much as possible about everybody who even comes to our door. The others say you told them everything about me that you could without prying into personal stuff."

"I don't do personal stuff. I see the future, not the past."

"Does that mean that Nine sees the past?" Eight mused.

Six shrugged. One had watched the whole thing then snorted.

"You know next to nothing about this boy, don't you?"

Six whimpered. "I'm sorry. But he's just as, you know, _energetic_ , as I am, and I don't know if it's natural or if he's blocking me or what."

"What does this boy look like?"

"He's got Five's body structure," Six answered, closing his eyes. He frowned and opened them again, looking angry. "He's got piercing golden eyes, messy golden hair, kinda like mine looked like before I let it get long, he's got a pale skin, and a lot of freckles all over his face and shoulders and arms."

"Calm yourself," One said soothingly.

"No! I can't see him again! I'm sick of not being able to see him!" Tears began to wind down his face, and Eight unbuckled and slid into the middle to hold him.

"Easy, Six. Easy. It's okay."

Six pressed into the large chest, crying out his frustration. By the time they got to the airport, he had stopped crying and was listening to some of Eight's music. He was eager to meet this Nine, though there could be hiccups, like there were when he had joined.

He was by far the weirdest out of all of them. There were many strained moments. None of them had never really gotten along together until Six had had a vision-induced fit so violent that it had scared them way beyond terrified. It had happened because Six had been using his magic to keep his fits inside. When he had come out of it, One had demanded to know what that was. Six had been so ashamed, and he muttered out what he had been doing. They had listened then One looked around.

"We haven't been good to you, Six. We haven't been good to each other. Forgive us."

He had forgiven them, and they all asked each other for forgiveness, too. After that, their relationships were never the same. They weren't strained, not anymore. Zero had stopped hiding in technology projects. One had relaxed his harsh demeanor and became more open. Two had stopped trying to psychoanalyze them and keep them at a distance like a therapist. Three and Four had pulled their heads out of their books. Five had become less shy and more involved in their activities. Six stopped holding in his strangeness. Seven had opened herself to all of them, not just the twins. And Eight had stopped bullying.

What would this Nine be like? Six wondered as he sat down and buckled in. They were all in first class, and they were all sitting together. Six was sitting by Eight.

"So you really can't see anything?" he asked once they had taken off.

"Not really. He's got a lot of magic, like me. I don't know if he's doing it on purpose."

"Who knows," Eight sighed.

"I can't wait to meet him!" Six sighed, relaxing back. He felt somebody staring at him, so he opened his eyes to see a middle aged woman and her husband staring at him. A vision flashed in front of his eyes, and he came out of it to see them gawking at him; he couldn't help it that his eyes turned lime green every time he saw a vision.

"Don't get on the rollercoaster," he said. "She's pregnant and will go into labor. He'll be two months premature and will have to have a surgery."

They looked confused, and she stood up to pat herself. "Do I look pregnant to you?"

 _~Two, Five, there has to be a medical reason!~_ Six begged over their bond.

"Ma'am?" Two said, grabbing her arm lightly. "My sister didn't even know she was pregnant until she went into labor. She didn't show. Some women don't. I'm a medical student. Zebulon has hunches, and they usually turn out to be correct. Definitely go to the doctor. I'm a med student, so I know the typical signs of pregnancy. Let me walk you through them, if you don't mind."

She glanced at her husband. "I'm too old, and we've given up hope…"

Six's eyes flashed again as he saw them in the hospital holding a healthy baby boy. He relaxed back in his seat, smiling through the rest of the flight. As they were getting off for their connection, the woman grabbed him and kissed his cheek.

"Thank you."

Six nodded, following his leader to the other plane. Three and Four kissed his cheeks, teasing him.

"That wasn't as bad as the one with the dog and the car," Five said helpfully.

Six grimaced at the memory. "Did he have to call me the spawn of hell? I couldn't help that I saw that happening."

"Don't think about it," One said with a frown, turning to look sympathetically at him.

"Yes, One," Six said. "But…nightmares?"

"As much as I hate to say it, block them on the plane. Other people aren't used to your fits. But as soon as we get a night to ourselves, we'll be there to hold you while you scream."

Six nodded. They hardly got any sleep that night. When they landed in Israel, Zero had already gotten them a large suite in the hotel. The refused another room, and they tucked Six into bed. One patiently sat beside him as the others lay down wherever there was space. Two and Five got into the bed with Six while Three, Four, and Seven took another one. Eight went over to sit on the floor beside One, leaning back against the wall and closing his eyes to rest.

"I'm sorry for all the fuss," Six muttered, looking at the floor.

"Hush. It's no trouble," One said. "Relax. Let them come."

Six did so. He hoped that Nine would get there soon…


	2. Trust Us

"Damn it!" One shrieked as they paced the new hotel room.

"One, I'm trying!" Six moaned.

"It is past you!" One snarled. "He is quick and annoying!"

"But he hasn't left yet," Seven said. "So he must know we're here."

Six looked down. "I'm tired. We searched all day. Again."

They all tucked in, as none of them felt like eating. One was the last one awake. He looked around and stood, hurrying out into the night as quietly as possible. He let his power seep out, and _saw_. He saw people and animals and things rushing around. Pause. He took a long, long look around and saw a flash of energy. There was a boy staring at their group before they resignedly went in an hour earlier. One walked over and played the vision. He followed Nine around to a restaurant. He went in and saw Nine sitting alone, playing with a drink. One waved off the host's questions and marched over to the table.

"Is this seat taken?"

Nine jumped a mile and stood quickly, slamming his knee on the legs of the table and spilling his coffee. The waiter hurried over to clean up the mess.

"What would you like, sir?" he asked.

"I would like Limonana, please. And a cup of coffee."

The man hurried away, and One gestured. "Sit."

They took their seats, and One studied him. His downcast eyes were gold, his hair was, too, and he was freckled and pale. Just like Six had said. But descriptions never did justice to the real thing. One didn't live in words. He lived in expressions and body language and tone and inflection. And Nine was only giving him body language. He wanted to disappear.

"Can I get you food?" the waiter asked, setting the drinks down.

One got a fish dish, and Nine vaguely gestured at the menu. The waiter seemed to catch what he wanted and hurried off to put in their orders. They sat in silence until the food got there. One picked up his fork, but caught a green movement of hands coming together. Nine hadn't moved, staring at him through his eyelashes.

"Would you like to pray?"

Nine shrugged, so One placed his hands together and said a quick prayer. That done, they began to eat. Nine had gotten lamb, and picked at his food.

"Not eating will not postpone the conversation," One said pointedly.

Nine's face pinched, and One expected a whimper, but no sound came from the distressed boy. One reached over and touched his hand.

"I am not angry at you, Nine. Eat. Then we'll talk. Just the two of us."

Nine looked up and sighed then picked up his silverware. An hour later they were in a rather poor hotel room. The cheapest money could buy. One sat on the bed and gestured for Nine to sit beside him.

"Come. Talk to me."

Nine looked up, tears in his eyes. _~I cannot.~_

One blinked at the voice in his head. "Really?"

Nine nodded, sniffling. _~I'm broken.~_

"Eh, we all are."

 _~I know. But I'm extra broken.~_

"You know? How?"

 _~Eight was right. I see the past.~_

"Oh! How interesting. How are you extra broken?"

Nine shrugged. _~I'm the worst part of everybody.~_

"Oh. So you're a stubborn jackass?"

 _~Yes.~_

"And your policy is to keep people at a distance?"

 _~Yes.~_

"And you're an insufferable know-it-all, a shy recluse, have damaging visions and fits, have an attitude and a hatred of people, and are a bully?"

Nine's body shook in amusement. _~Not really the last one. I'm more along the lines of_ being _bullied, like Eight was before he hit his growth spurt.~_

"That's unfortunate." One paused. "I have an important question for you. Have you been purposefully avoiding us? And before you answer, keep in mind that I have a knack for knowing truth from falsehood."

Nine hung his head and finally sat down beside his leader. _~I'm afraid of being close to people. Everybody that I get close to wounds me. My heart and soul are nothing but scars.~_

"So you have been avoiding us," One said with a nod.

 _~Yes.~_

"Nine, if there is anybody on this planet who will love you, it is us."

 _~I'm still afraid.~_

"I understand fear. I do. But I know that some fears are ungrounded. This is one of them. At least try, Nine. At least give us a chance."

Nine shivered, but nodded after a long period of silence. He stifled a yawn, and One turned out the light, curling close to him under the thin blankets. Nine awoke early the next morning, but not by choice. One's weird phone would ring seven times then go silent. It would stay silent for about five minutes, then do the whole thing again. The twelfth time it did it, Nine sat up, grabbed the phone and pressed it against One's ear as it gave another, loud insistent _riiiing!_ One swore and sat up, blinking stupidly at the loud device. His mind caught up with him and he answered and put it on videophone in two swift clicks.

"Hello?"

Two's concerned face was there. "Where in the _hell_ are you?!"

"I…I'm not sure. Nine?"

"Nine?!" they all gasped, crowding each other to see him.

 _~We're somewhere you don't want to be.~_

One frowned, placing his hand over the camera. "Why are you even here if we don't want to be here?"

 _~Because I'm dirt poor.~_

"Nonsense. You will come to stay with us."

 _~Only if they don't object.~_

One removed his hand. "Any objections about Nine living with us?"

"Of course not!" they chorused.

"Well…I'm tired, but I'm also hungry. Anybody else want food?"

"Yes!" Five said eagerly.

"But we don't know this area," Seven growled.

"And is it a crime to want American food?" Eight muttered, crossing his arms.

 _~I know where we can go.~_ Nine said quietly.

Nine had One relay the instructions then they ended up at an Israeli joint. Nine shyly asked One if they could rent a room. One paid the man as much as he wanted and went into the room while Nine went back to talk to somebody. He came back, freezing when he walked into the room. The others were right there. They turned and their faces lit up. Nine shrank back, his face warming in embarrassment. One gestured him over. Nine hid his face behind a menu as soon as he was seated. One touched him lightly.

"Nine. Please?"

The menu lowered, and they all saw an insecure teen who was trying not to cry in humiliation. Five reached over and touched him gently.

"It's okay. It is. We won't hurt you."

 _~That's what my friend told me.~_

"When did he tell you that?" Six asked.

"Wait, what?" Seven demanded. "He didn't say anything."

"Seven," One sad patiently in a low, soothing voice. "Nine is mute like the twins."

"Oh…Sorry, Nine."

He actually did begin to cry, grabbing at his throat. One pulled him close.

"Hush. It's alright. We are not judging you. Relax."

Six embraced him, kissing his head and they eased the boy down from his misery. Just as he sat up and wiped his eyes, the doors opened and a feast was carried in. Bacon, three different types of eggs, pancakes and waffles with real butter and maple syrup, and toast with jam and jelly. Eight of the people at the table gaped at it. When the last man had come around behind Nine and set the last cups of milk and orange juice down, he patted Nine's shoulders.

"I'll see you next time around, Joshua."

Nine nodded, sipping his orange juice. He left and the doors shut again. Everybody was staring at Nine again.

"You know the cook?" Six finally guessed.

Nine nodded. _~He's one of my acquaintances.~_

"All right! American food!" Eight laughed eagerly, reaching for a slice of toast.

"Nine, would you like to pray?" One asked, making everybody freeze.

 _~You don't need to do that for me.~_

"Nonsense," One said, folding his hands. Everybody followed. "Father I pray you bless this food to our use and us to thy service, in Jesus' name we pray. Amen."

"Amen," the others echoed then began to eat eagerly. Nine looked around as he nibbled on a piece of bacon.

"You gonna eat?" Five asked with his mouth full.

"Five," Two warned.

"Sorry," Five said after he'd swallowed. "So, you gonna eat?"

Nine shrugged. _~I'm not hungry.~_

It was the first time he'd said something to everybody at the same time, and everybody but One and Six flinched. Nine blushed.

 _~Sorry.~_

"Don't be. We'll get used to it," Two said dismissively, smothering his pancakes in syrup. "And I want you to eat. You must be sick of Israeli food."

 _~No. I enjoy different food. I can say that nothing really beats an all beef burger smothered in ketchup on a sesame seed bun, but I love different types of food.~_

"What's your second favorite?" Six asked, cutting his waffles into strips to dip them in syrup.

 _~Hm…Well, French bread is unbeatable…The English know how to make breakfast…Scottish haggis isn't bad, though it's really weird…Amsterdam is fun, what with the…addition to meals. Israeli is nice. Real Chinese food is unbeatable…I don't really know. It's all good in different ways.~_

They had stopped eating. "Have you really been to all those places?" Seven asked in wonder.

 _~Yes, and more.~_

"Why?"

 _~I have no family, no friends. I figured, why not see the world? I'm dirt poor all the time, but I splurge on food. I like food. Food is delicious. Food makes me happy.~_

"Do you partake in gluttony?" Two asked. One gave him a look.

 _~No. Gluttony is a sin. I try not to sin.~_

"Ah! So you _are_ a Christian!" One exclaimed, sounding pleased that he was right.

 _~Yes. Sorry if that offends you, but I'm not changing it.~_

 _~Offends us?~_ Four asked in confusion.

 _~Why would your faith offend us?~_ Three continued.

"It offends more people than you think," One said as Nine reached around to scratch his back. "So, I don't usually pry, but is your name Joshua?"

 _~Yes, you do usually pry, and yes my name is Joshua. Joshua Wallace.~_ Nine said, staring at him as he finally grabbed a hard boiled egg and removed the shell.

"I do not!" One said, clearly offended.

 _~Then why do you know everybody's stories, but nobody knows yours?~_

"One!" Two gasped as everyone paled. "You didn't tell him!"

"No! I didn't!" One barked. "Eight was right! He sees the past! It's not my fault that he knows everything!"

"Oh. Alright," Two said, strangely quiet. They all went mute.

Nine looked around, tears filling his eyes. He stood up and bolted to the kitchen. His acquaintance looked up.

"Hello, Joshua."

 _"Daniel,"_ Nine signed.

"You look upset."

 _"I am. That…oddity of mine is making them hate me."_

"Which one?"

 _"Dreaming about their pasts."_

"That would bother anybody."

 _"I know. But they want to be my family. If they can't get past that I see these things, they will never be able to love me."_

"Nine, we love you anyway. We'll get used to that fact."

The entire kitchen staff turned to see One standing there, arms crossed. Daniel tilted his head.

"It took me years to accept that fact. What makes you think you can accept it so freely?"

"We are all strange. One big, freaky family. One more strange person won't weird us out anymore."

"If you say so." The Israeli paused. "Nine is a delight. He's just been through some shit. Shit he won't tell me about. Take care of him. Shalom, hazer."

One held out his hand. "Come, Nine. Come and eat. You look starved."

Nine waved at Daniel then walked back to the room. When he was greeted by concerned questions, he relaxed a little. They really cared. When they had finished eating, they relaxed back, sipping on Limonana that Daniel had brought in.

"Mm, that was good," Seven purred, lolling back in her chair.

"How much is it going to cost?" Two queried lazily.

"Does it matter?" One asked, waving his hand to make his staff appear. "Damn, I've missed this thing."

"Hey, Nine, how are you at our magic?" Six asked. "The others are pretty weak, comparatively, but they're getting stronger."

 _~I don't call it magic.~_ Nine said, downing his drink. _~Magic is forbidden in the Bible.~_

"Changing the name doesn't change what it is," Five said pointedly.

 _~The magic in the Bible came from invoking demons.~_ Nine replied. _~I don't invoke demons, and neither do you. Our abilities are a gift from God. Else when I came to the Lord, I would have lost the weirdness. I didn't. Therefore, God has granted us these gifts.~_

There was thoughtful silence then One sat up straight. "I see. That makes sense. That is why there is no discrepancy in my own life."

"Oh?" Two asked, a smile spreading over his face. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

"None of your concern," One said, blushing.

 _~Not talking about it doesn't help matters.~_

"If I want your opinion, I will ask for it, Nine," One growled.

 _~And if I want to live with you, I will ask for it as well. Goodbye.~_

Nine stood and turned toward the door, but One slammed his staff on the ground, sending a _zing_ of green energy out and over the room, which made Nine's legs quiver and fail. He hit his knees, gasping in shock. Six and Eight were suddenly there. Eight picked him and set him in his chair, standing right behind him with Six to his left. The silver-eyed boy was sending out waves of power to cancel out anything Nine put out. Nine was still shivering from the energy. He had felt all sorts of things with his energy, but never that. He now understood why the others always had such strong reactions to that in his visions.

One took his hand. "Don't you run from us, Nine. Shh, it's okay. Relax."

It took five minutes for Nine to finally stop shaking. When he was relaxed, One pulled him close, kissing the side of his head.

"You will come back with us. You will live with us. You need to."

Nine sniffled. _~I'm still afraid.~_

"But are you willing to give us a chance?"

The newest member of the group considered this then looked up. _~I will grant you my trust, One. And the others. But I will not talk of my past unless you talk to everybody about yours.~_

One frowned, but nodded. "Fine. Now, let's pay and get out of here. I'm ready to go home."

They paid then walked out. They had walked ten steps when a flash of pain zapped through them.

"Who's hurt?!" One barked. They turned to see Nine's eye swelling. A man stood there, shrieking in Hebrew. Daniel ran out and began shouting back. He was shoved back and he tripped over a bench, hitting the ground hard. Nine stood and backed away as the man approached, looking ready to kill. Eight jerked him back behind him as Seven grabbed a Bo staff off of her back. They stood there defensively.

"What does he want?" One asked softly.

 _~He doesn't like me.~_ Nine said, looking embarrassed. _~I made the mistake of mentioning that he killed his sister because of his own foolishness. He's threatening to kill me so I don't tell his parents.~_

One snorted as Daniel stood up and joined Seven and Eight.

"Daniel, translate," One said. "It isn't our fault if you killed your own sister. Now leave Joshua alone."

Daniel obeyed, and the man replied, "It is none of his business! He deserves to die!"

"Just like your sister?" One countered.

The man tried to hit him over Eight's shoulder, but Seven popped him with her staff. "Eight frowned. "Tell him to go away before I hurt him."

"A whiney little boy like you hurt me? Ha! Ridiculous!"

Eight tensed. "I mean it."

"Weakling. I will dispatch you then Joshua."

Eight punched the man in the face. He went down and stayed down. Eight snorted, spinning around and crossing his arms. Seven patted his arm lightly as One grabbed Nine.

"Two, get what you need. Seven, Eight go with them. Everybody else, back to the hotel."

Half an hour later, steak was pressed against Nine's eye as Two tended to a cut on his face. Nine looked up.

 _~Sorry.~_

"Don't be, Nine," Two said with a head shake.

"Yeah. If I could count all the shit that people have done to me for my visions, it would be an ungodly number," Six said with a smile.

"Six," One said firmly. "Do not curse."

"Oh…sorry. I forgot, One."

There was a _ring_ and One picked up his phone and turned the videophone on. "Ah, Zero, there you are. We _finally_ need plane tickets back home."

"How many?"

"Nine. We need nine plane tickets. Nine."

Nine could tell that One enjoyed saying that. He had worked hard to catch the elusive boy, and he was proud of it. The two men talked for a few minutes as Nine watched them. He was so tired…There was a _crash_ and Nine found himself on the floor. He blinked stupidly at the others, who helped him up.

"On second thought, Zero, give us the rest of the day here. Nine's exhausted. We'll see you tomorrow."


	3. He's A Christian, Right?

Nine was led to his room by One, past Zero, who stared at him curiously. He set his small bag on the bed, which was covered in a green blanket, and began to unpack. He set his clothes out, and was embarrassed by how little there was. Besides what he had on, he had one other daytime outfit, and then his nightclothes.

"Oh, this will never do!" Two said loudly, making Nine jump and try to hide the state of his wardrobe (or lack thereof). One was there in an instant.

"What happened?"

"The poor boy's clothes, One! He hardly has anything, and what he does have is nearly worn clean through!"

One frowned. "Then we must take him shopping. Tomorrow."

Nine shook his head. _~No, you've done enough for me already. I'll be fine.~_

"Nonsense," One said, and Nine was starting to think that that was his favorite word. "We shall buy you anything you like. We need a few things as well. We haven't gone shopping in for clothes in months."

Nine could feel everybody looking at him and he closed the door as soon as they were gone. He stripped down and pulled on his one pair of jeans and a purple t-shirt. He then pulled out the piece of clothing he was most proud of. It was a golden yellow cloak. He swung it over his shoulders, tied it, then pulled the hood up to hide his face. There. That was better. After plugging his headphones into his ears, he silently slipped from his room and hurried into the main room. He curled up under the cloak and played his music at a low volume.

Eight saw him first. He blinked, raising his eyebrows, then shrugged it off and began to play with his keyboard. Five saw him next. He did the same thing that Eight did: after a brief look of surprise, went back to what he was doing. One by one the others saw him, and they all pretty much ignored him. Perfect. At least it was until Two saw him. He looked around then skittered over to sit beside Nine. Nine pulled his hood farther up.

"Hello there."

Nine's eyes were gleaming in the lights, but that was the only thing of his face that Two could see.

"Would you like to talk?"

 _~No. But you're going to pester me until I tell you what phobia I have.~_

Two blushed, glancing around for One.

 _~I'm only projecting to you.~_ Nine sounded amused.

"Good. One doesn't really approve of my therapy skills."

 _~You're good at it.~_ Nine said quietly.

Two beamed proudly. "Thank you! Now, what specifically are you afraid of?"

 _~What are_ you _afraid of?~_

Two blinked. "You know, don't you?" Nine shrugged, so Two snorted. "Of course you do. I have iatrophobia. I'm afraid of going to the doctor. So I am becoming a doctor to negate that fear. It's kind of like Zero's thanatophobia. He's studied it in depth to understand it better so it's not so scary."

 _~Self diagnosis isn't really smiled upon, you know.~_

"But I don't like seeing doctors…" Two pouted, and Nine reached over to pet his hand.

 _~It's okay. What about the others?~_

"Three and Four have slightly different variations of a particular phobia. Three has islophobia, while Four has monophobia. Three doesn't want to be completely isolated, while Four doesn't like being alone."

 _~I see. And Five?~_

"Fear of failure. Atychiphobia. But, with our help, he's started to ease into his own unique projects."

 _~Interesting. What about Six, Seven, and Eight?~_

"Athazagoraphobia, that is forgetting or being forgotten, philophobia, which is falling or being in love, and sedatephobia, the fear of silence. In that order. Now…I am most curious about you."

 _~What about One's asthenophobia? You forgot that one.~_

Two flinched and looked around. "Not even the others know about that one. Keep it quiet or One will have my head. Now, let me look you over…"

Two observed the way Nine kept pulling his hood up to hide his face, the cloak was pulled shut in front of him, and his feet were with the rest of his body underneath it. He was hunched over, and seemed to have trouble meeting his eyes…

"Scopophobia, the fear of being seen," Two said with a smile.

 _~Correct.~_

"Were you made fun of as a boy?"

Two saw a wall go up in Nine's eyes, and he knew he would get nothing more. That was the moment that Seven decided to make an announcement.

"One! Two's psychoanalyzing Nine!"

Two leaped up and dashed away from Nine toward his room, but a _zing_ of energy from One had him hit the floor. He shook hard as One moved to stand in front of him.

"Did he want to talk to you?" One asked dangerously.

"He-he didn't s-seem to m-m-mind," Two moaned as his body quaked.

One blinked at the truth in that statement then looked up at Nine, gesturing him over.

"Was he forcing you to say anything?"

Nine shook his head. _~No.~_

"You didn't mind?"

 _~Not until the last five seconds.~_

Two was helped to his feet by Five and Seven, who watched Nine readjust his hood before bowing his head.

"What does he have?" Six asked curiously.

Two looked to Nine, who shrugged without looking up. "He has the phobia of being seen."

"Oh…That would explain his reactions in the restaurant," One said thoughtfully.

"Poor boy," Eight said, patting his head.

"You will not question Nine of this until he is willing to tell you more," One said firmly.

 _~Only when you're open to discussing your phobia as well.~_ Nine said, looking up with gleaming eyes.

"I have no phobia."

Nine snorted. _~Yeah, and I'm going to get into Heaven.~_

He walked back to the couch and curled up again, turning up his music until they could hear it through his headphones. One was most troubled by that comment.

"One? You okay?" Two asked.

"Nine did say he was a Christian, right?"

"Yes, why?"

"He just implied he wasn't going to get into Heaven. That doesn't make sense."

"Who cares?" Seven asked. "Three, Four, wanna spar?"

 _~Sure!~_ they exclaimed happily, following her out of the room.

Two and Five went to go work on the former's summer work from college, Zero began tweaking one of the cellphones, and Six went to go draw. Eight stayed by One.

"Something wrong, boss?"

"What Nine said doesn't make sense," One muttered, looking over Nine's huddled form. "If you're a Christian, you _know_ you're going to get into Heaven. Or, at the very least, be pretty sure you're not going to Hell…"

"I don't know, One. I just don't know. You could go talk to him."

"No. Leave him be for now. Two obviously disturbed him with his questions. We'll find out. We will. It'll just take time."


	4. Sins of the Past

Nine tossed and turned, mouth open in silent screams as the knife dragged across his skin. Laughter filled his head, and he thrashed around violently, sending his glass of water to the floor, where it shattered, spreading liquid over the boards. The door banged open, but it didn't wake the distressed boy.

"Be careful!" Six cried out as One ran over. "There's glass!"

Light flooded the room, but even that didn't wake Nine. One shook him hard, but still he writhed, tears streaming down his cheeks. One's hands tightened on his staff and he slammed it down hard. Green energy burst out, and as soon as it passed over Nine, he jerked up, looking around wildly, cringing away from them. By this time, the others were owlishly peeking into the room. Nine's face turned red and he wiped away his tears as he slipped under the blanket. One sat down as Six was handed a broom so he could sweep up the glass.

"Nine? Are you okay?" One asked softly.

There was the sensation of a shrug over the link. Two walked in, skirting the shards. "Wrist please."

Nine's hand stuck out from under the blankets, and Two checked his pulse. Two nodded slowly after a couple minutes.

"It's coming down. Just breathe, Nine. In and out. Slowly."

The others came in and stood around the room as the glass was thrown away.

"Will you come out of the blankets?" One asked.

 _~Not until you give me my cloak or turn off the lights.~_

"Your cloak is in the washing machine," Six said, sitting on the other side of Nine.

"Shut off the light and close the door," One instructed.

They nodded and seconds later were plunged into darkness, lit only by the faint green light from the digital clock. As they sat down, One pulled the blanket off of Nine, who angled his face away from the light. There was silence for a few minutes then Eight began to sing a soft song. One and Six could feel Nine relaxing, and they sent that over their link. When the tension fully left Nine, One kissed his head, mentally telling Eight to finish. The song ended and they sat in silence again.

"Nine? I can't help unless you talk to me," One said gently.

 _~You'd just laugh at me.~_

"Not if it's important to you," Seven said firmly. "That's what I thought when One asked me why I was here."

 _~You were raped in private. What happened to me was public.~_

There was dead silence. Eight finally swallowed.

"Y-you were…raped, Seven?"

"Nine, you are in trouble for saying that," One said coldly as Seven sobbed. The twins felt for her in the dark and embraced her.

 _~I'm sorry, Seven.~_ Nine muttered. _~I shouldn't have said that. I'm just hurting. Forgive me.~_

 _~Why didn't you tell us, Seven?~_ Three asked quietly.

"I d-didn't want you to hate me!"

"I told you before, Seven, that we are not going to hate you for somebody else's stupidity," One said firmly, tapping his staff to the floor to send out a burst of comfort. She absorbed it gladly.

 _~We love you, Seven.~_ Four cooed. _~We don't care that you were raped. You are still our Seven.~_

"It doesn't matter?" she asked brokenly.

"No. It does matter," Two said swiftly. "It matters a lot. What he means is that our view of you doesn't change based on this information."

They nodded and sent her love and affection, including Nine. She accepted it until her tears were spent then she just relaxed.

"Did he get arrested?" Five asked.

Seven shook her head, smirking. "No."

 _~May I show them what happened to him?~_ Nine asked politely.

"You can show us stuff?" Six asked eagerly.

 _~Yes.~_

"I'd like a reminder, so yes. Show us."

A boy as large as Eight appeared, lit up. He was unconscious, and was bleeding profusely from a multitude of deep cuts. Twice as many bruises covered his naked body. He looked terrible. Everybody laughed heartily as he faded.

"So you kicked his ass?" Eight asked in amusement.

"Hell yeah!" Seven chirped proudly. "And I did such terrible damage to him that two important parts of his manhood had to be removed!"

The rest of them laughed again. There was a silence from Seven and they felt it turn serious again.

"I couldn't stop him though. He said he loved me. I was in love with him. He took off my shirt and I wanted him to stop, but he didn't. He hit me over the head and when I woke up he was…"

"Unless you want to talk about the details, we don't need to hear it, Seven," One said solemnly. "We will listen if you need us to, though."

Seven shivered, and the twins tightened their grips. "I hated the sensation. It didn't feel good like he said it would. I was so dazed that I couldn't respond. It was over quick. My mind came back after he was done. I felt violated. I was so mad that my mind hurt. So I beat the shit out of him. He pulled a knife at one point. I took it from him and slashed him up real bad. I hit him where it hurt. A lot. Like I said, his family jewels were surgically removed because of what I did. I didn't tell anybody what happened. He didn't either. But I had to see him every day in school. When I was fifteen, I couldn't take it. So I left home and was drawn to town. One found me and coaxed me to have tea. I don't know why I accepted. I hate tea. But…I'm glad I did."

There was more silence then One sent out three more bursts of comfort. She absorbed them then sighed tiredly.

"It actually feels good to talk about this. I was so scared that when you found out, you wouldn't love me anymore."

"Of course we love you," they chorused then One stood and felt his way over to her, kissing her gently. "Seven, we love you no matter what happened to you. That is true for all of you. We are a family. Past sins don't matter. Past shame will not stop us from loving you. That is a fact."

"Yeah," Six said listlessly. "I guess you won't judge me because my uncle had sex with me when I was twelve."

Silence. "You were raped, too?" Seven asked, feeling for Six's hand. He reached for her and found her effortlessly.

"Yeah. He always creeped me out. The way he would look at me…" Six shuddered, and One patted his hand, slamming his staff down again. Six sighed as the comfort washed over him. "I don't remember much about the actual event. I just remember him grunting. He just left afterwards. I…I tried to tell my parents, but they yelled at me to stop lying. They didn't want a scandal, so they ignored what happened. They…forgot me. They kept inviting him over, and I got paranoid. So…I left. Came here. One found me, and he promised that I would be safe here. I asked him how, and he showed me a gun. I felt better, so I joined him."

Zero whimpered. "I didn't get raped…but my sister did."

"I didn't know you had a sister, Zero," Two said, touching him. "What's her name?"

"Her name _was_ Maryanna."

 _~Was?~_ Three and Four asked gently.

"They killed her after they did her. She wasn't useful anymore. It sent my parents into shock. They died soon after I turned eighteen. They left me this mansion, and a ton of money. What with that, and the money that Six helps us make with his predictions of the future, we're set for life."

"Oh, Zero. What happened after that?"

"I cut off a vital piece of male anatomy from the guy who did it. Sent him to the hospital. He now has to sit down to use the bathroom."

"Sounds like he deserved it," Seven said smugly.

"He did. I'm smart enough that I avoided going to jail. One showed up a few lonely years later, and I gladly accepted his company."

Eight hesitated. "I sent somebody to the hospital, too."

"Really?" Seven asked.

"Yeah. Really." Eight took a deep breath. "I was really small until the summer before junior year. Everybody picked on me. Nate was the worst. He'd snap me with towels between my legs. It hurt so bad! Then I hit my growth spurt. I came back to school, and on the first day I beat the hell out of Nate. I broke some ribs and his right arm and I dislocated his left shoulder. I got expelled. My father didn't like that. I was finally big enough to play football like he always wanted, and I throw it away just to beat somebody up. So I packed up and came to town. One found me, and I've lived here ever since."

One nodded. "And I'm glad I found you. All of you. Now, I think it's time to get back to bed. Go on now."

The light was turned on only long enough for the others to leave, then it was shut off again. One and Six curled up next to Nine, and all three of them fell asleep. There were no more nightmares that night.


	5. Mistakes?

_~I don't understand!~_ Four exclaimed irritably.

 _~Peace brother.~_ Three said. _~We will figure it out.~_

"What are you two puzzling over?" Five asked as he approached.

 _~This Jesus fellow. He is confusing.~_ Three sighed.

 _~Yes, he died. For others. A lot of others, apparently.~_ Four added.

"What's so confusing about that?"

 _~People are following him all these years later!~_ They exclaimed.

"Maybe One will know. He's really knowledgeable about the Bible for some reason."

 _~He is talking with Six.~_ Four pouted.

"Oh. Nine's a Christian. Ask him."

Their faces lit up and they sprinted for the couch. Nine pulled his hood up more then glanced up at them.

 _~Yes?~_

 _~We have many questions about the Bible.~_ Three said firmly.

 _~Alright. Name one.~_

 _~Why did this Jesus die such a brutal death?~_ Four asked.

Nine waved his hand and his Bible appeared. He turned the pages and looked up.

 _~Isaiah 53. 'Who has believed our message? To whom has the LORD revealed his powerful arm? My servant grew up in the LORD's presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care._

 _~Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God's paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all._

 _~He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. Unjustly condemned, he was led away. No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream. But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people. He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man's grave._

 _~But it was the LORD's good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life and the LORD's good plan will prosper in his hands. When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.'~_

Nine closed the book and sat back, looking up at them. They chewed on the answer, tasting every flavor they could, before blinking.

 _~Tell us more about this Jesus.~_

 _~What exactly do you want to know?~_

"Did he have any sons?" Five asked.

 _~No. He didn't. 'No one cared that he died without descendants.' But he had a lot of brothers and sisters.~_

"Who were they?"

 _~Some of his biological brothers were, James, Joses, Judas, and Simon. His sisters were unnamed. But he is our brother in the sense that he is human. But he is only the brother to those who are in the elect.~_

"Elect?" Eight asked. "Like what we do for leaders?"

 _~Yes, but it's God's election, not ours. We can only be elected. We cannot elect ourselves.~_

"Isn't that limiting His power?" Seven asked as One and Six joined them, completing the crowd that had grown around the boy; he pulled his hood up farther again.

 _~Not at all. It actually displays his power. You're having trouble with limited atonement because you think it isn't fair.~_

"Yes. To me it sounds like God selects certain people and sends the rest to Hell to burn for all eternity."

Nine nodded. _~That's exactly what He does. It doesn't seem fair, but doesn't an all-powerful God who made everything and everyone have the right to do with His creation as he sees fit?"_

"Of course He does," One said, nodding once, and he saw the question in their eyes. "He elected His people before the world was even made, before time began. We do nothing to get elected, and nothing we say or do can influence Him. He is perfectly pleased with His decision, as He is perfectly pleased with Himself and every little thing He does."

"Even making me a mistake?" Five asked quietly.

Everybody turned. "What?" Two asked in horror.

"I'm a mistake. My parents said so. Both of them. They didn't want me. I am a failure."

One tapped his staff a few times then embraced Five. "You are not a mistake. I told you that before. Your parents just didn't know what they had. You're such a special boy. Such a wonderfully special boy. Shh, it's alright."

Five was sobbing. "Th-they didn't even care that I'd lost my eye!"

"Oh, Five," Two cooed, kissing his red face. "We care. We care so much. Shh."

He cried as his real family surrounded him. Except for Nine. Nine just awkwardly sat on the couch, messing with his iPod. He didn't want to be seen at the moment, and he didn't want them to notice him at all. So, of course, Seven did. She detached from them and sat beside him. He refused her hand, tightening himself. She understood, and just placed her hand on his hidden leg. That…was nice. She wasn't screaming at him to get out from under his cloak, to face them, to forget what had happened because it didn't matter.

Five calmed down, and Two kissed him again. "I might as well have been a mistake, too."

The one-eyed boy perked. "Really?"

"Yep. I was born into a family of lawyers. The only thing they wanted me to do was practice law. I'm a prodigy, as you know, so I tested out of high school early. They sent me to college, then Harvard. I was bored. Beyond bored. I loathed it. I…" Two grabbed his left wrist. "I tried to kill myself there. I slit my wrist. I didn't want to go to the doctor because of a bad experience involving a needle breaking off inside of me, and I decided I didn't want to die so…I sewed myself up. Thus began my interest in medicine."

One picked up his arm and kissed his scar lightly. "We're glad you didn't die."

 _~If you think that you're a mistake, our parents didn't even want us.~_ Four sighed.

 _~Yes, they gave us up at an orphanage. It wasn't too bad most of the time but…adoption day was terrible.~_ Three said quietly

"Adoption day? Isn't that a happy time?" Seven asked.

They looked toward her. _~Not when only one of you is going to be adopted.~_ Four moaned. _~I was going to be alone! Without my brother!~_

 _~And I was going to be alone. Be trapped with nobody who knew me. In a cold, cold room…~_ Three whined, burying his face in Four's neck, grasping for his brother.

Silence for a minute. Eight pulled them close as Seven was comforting Nine, and One tapped his staff five more times. Three sniffled.

 _~We ran away. Ended up here. We're glad we did.~_

 _~We love you. All of you.~_ Four added.

They stayed close for the rest of the day, feeling as if they needed it. Such personal information made them feel vulnerable, and those affected needed reassurance that they weren't going to be abandoned. Nine still sat on his couch beneath his cloak. He felt vulnerable, too. Like they could see the knife marks, the scars. But he was too afraid to talk about it because then they'd want to see them. Then they'd laugh. Just like the boys had. Just like the girls had. Just like the school had. Just like the town had. Just like his _parents_ had. That would never do. So he sat there on his couch beneath his cloak and said nothing, guarding his scarred heart. And he cried because he had to.


	6. The Mark

They were walking through a city down the way from what they considered their hometown. Nine wore a hat, as was his custom when he was in public in the States. It turned out that he didn't mind being stared at by people of other countries because they didn't have access to…whatever it was that bothered him. He was peeking through a window when he heard the word.

 _"Beast."_

He turned to see two boys. Two boys he knew. Two boys who had held him down, readying him for the knife…

They grinned when they saw his face. Nine hurried away nonchalantly, and his family didn't even look up from where they were. Not a one. Because they didn't care. He broke into a sprint when he was far enough away that it wouldn't draw attention to himself. He wanted his cloak so he could hide. Hide from the smirks, hide from the laughter, hide from his _mark._

He ran out of breath near a restaurant, flushed and panting. They had kept pace, and he turned and began to back away, panic filling him.

"Come on, Joshy boy," Timothy laughed; he was the larger boy at 6'4", but Ron was still between 6'2" and 6'3".

"Show us your mark, Beast," Ron laughed.

Nine hesitated then tilted his head back and washed the makeup on his throat away with some water in a crevice. He hoped this would placate them. It didn't.

"Not that mark. The big one. The one on your _back._ "

Nine shook his head, tears streaming down his face. They approached, and Nine grabbed his shirt, cringing back as their fists rose into the air…

There was a _crack_ , but not against him. He straightened to see that Eight had slammed his fist into Ron's head, sending him sprawling against a bench. Timothy turned to see Seven's staff coming toward his face, and he cried out, hitting the ground hard. Both of them were dazed as One hurried over to Nine, looking him over. His gaze lingered on his throat for a brief moment before embracing him. He turned.

"Who are these boys?" One demanded, eyes spitting fire.

 _~They lived in my town.~_ Nine muttered in embarrassment. _~They wanted to see what Tommy did to my…Never mind.~_

"Well, Six, let's get them out of here."

The boy held out his hands once there was a wall of bodies blocking the public's view and green energy surrounded their heads. The two bullies stood up, staring at Nine blankly. They blinked then looked around.

"Where are we Josh?"

One informed them then sent them on their way. Nine found himself being stared at. One pulled him close.

"You ran away. Why didn't you tell us that they were after you?"

 _~It's my problem, not yours.~_

"Any problem of yours is now ours," Five informed him sternly. "That's what family means. Now, let's get home."

 _~But this is our day out. You don't need to cut that short just for me,~_ Nine argued weakly.

"You are far more important that any day out. You're going to have a fit. I can see it in your eyes _and_ your future," Six replied. "Now, let's go. We'll be able to get home in time if we leave within the next ten minutes."

An hour later, Nine walked in and sprinted for his room. He wasn't fast enough. The floor was unforgiving as Nine hit it, and he lost himself to pain. When he came back to himself, he felt weak and vulnerable. He pushed himself up and found that his blanket was actually his cloak. He stared at it for a moment before tossing it aside. He wanted a nice, long, hot shower. One was sitting on another couch, watching him.

"Hungry?"

Nine shook his head.

"Are you ready to talk about whatever is on your back?"

Nine shuddered, shaking his head. _~Not until you talk about your phobia, too.~_

One leaned back then tapped his staff. The burst of energy filled the house and the grounds and within five minutes, everybody was assembled.

"Yeah, boss?" Eight asked as they took their seats.

"Nine won't talk about what is bothering him until I, too, talk about what bothers me. Why I have my phobia."

"So you _do_ have a phobia?" Seven asked, interest clearly piqued.

"I do. I don't know the long name for it."

"Asthenophobia," Two said immediately.

 _~Which means?~_ Three and Four asked.

"I have a fear of being weak. Which is why I was being such an ass to all of you in the beginning. I was afraid you would think I was weak. That fear was unfounded, of course, and I know that now."

"Where did your fear come from?" Two asked.

One gave him a look. "Two…"

"I thought we were going to talk about this!" the bespectacled boy exclaimed.

"I…I suppose so. I just don't like to talk about it. I haven't really ever talked about it to anybody."

"We're patient. Take all the time you need," Six said, getting up to sit beside his leader.

One rested his head against the back of the couch, taking several deep breaths. He finally looked up again.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but I know answers to many of the questions you have been asking about Christianity."

 _~We thought that odd, considering you don't seem to be religious.~_ Four replied.

"I don't know what I am anymore," One admitted. "Because of something that happened between my mother and father."

"What happened?" Two asked.

"He shot and killed her."

There was silence so thick you could have taken a bite out of it and chewed it for ten minutes. Two finally nodded slowly.

"Alright. Why did he do that?"

"My father was orthodox Catholic," One explained. "My mother and I turned Protestant secretly. It stayed a secret for six years. When it came out, my father beat me. My mother walked in the door, and he pulled a gun that we kept there in case of intruders. He shot her then me."

One pulled off his shirt to reveal a scar on his stomach. Two nodded.

"So that's how you got that."

"Yes." He paused. "I've had all the standard thoughts. What if I had jumped in front of her. What if I had grabbed the gun from him. What if I hadn't been so weak. What if, what if, what if."

"Oh, One," Two said compassionately, kissing his cheek. "You can't help it. I'm here if you want free therapy."

"Thank you, Two. I appreciate it. I couldn't talk to a stranger about that anyway. Too personal. Too much judgement."

"We're all here," Eight said.

One then glanced at Nine. "Mind talking now?"

 _~Can I have a shower first?~_

"Of course. Does he need anybody in there, Six?" the first of their number asked the future-seer.

Six's eyes turned green and he shook his head. "Nope. I can't see too far yet, so he's going to decide something in there."

Nine gratefully took a long, hot, soapy shower and debated with himself. He was so scared. So very scared. But by the time he'd turned the water off, he had his decision. He grabbed a huge towel and dried himself off then wrapped himself up and walked out to them. His heart was pounding a mile a minute. He knew that if he didn't get it over with all at once, he'd never do it. One looked up and stood immediately.

"Is something wrong, Nine?"

Nine walked over to him, and One met him halfway, Nine couldn't meet his eyes as he dropped the towel. One kissed him gently.

"Whatever it is doesn't change the fact that we love you."

He slowly walked around and observed Nine's back. His jaw dropped and he screamed at the top of his lungs.

 _"Holy shit!"_

Everybody was there in an instant, and they made similar comments as Nine shook harder. One came to his senses then turned him around and kissed him.

"Oh, Nine, forgive us. We just didn't expect that."

Two walked around and studied the marks. "May I touch them?"

Nine hesitated, but at a reassuring look from One, he nodded. Nine could feel every twitch of Two's fingers as he traced the large nine carved into his back. One held him gently.

 _~What was that name that they called you?~_ Four asked.

 _~Beast.~_

"Why would they carve a nine in your back and call you a beast?" Six asked.

One stiffened and pulled away from Nine to meet his eyes. "Is that the reason?"

"Is what the reason?" Seven asked.

"The reason you say you won't get into Heaven?" One clarified further.

Nine blushed and looked away. One gestured for Eight to come and hold Nine while he went around to look at the scars again. He traced two more smaller nines on either side of the large one.

"Those assholes did it upside down, didn't they?"

Nine nodded in shame, hiding his face in Eight's chest.

"Did what?" everybody exclaimed in irritation.

"May I tell them?" One asked tenderly.

Nine shrugged; they weren't laughing and he was confused. _~I don't care.~_

"There is a creature in the Bible. A beast. There is much, _much_ debate about it. The thing that I will point out here, which is stated very, very clearly in Revelation, is that the _mark_ of the beast is 6-6-6."

"So?" Six asked, confused.

"They did it upside down," One repeated slowly.

"So…those are _sixes_ not nines?" Five asked in shock.

"Correct."

 _~But what does not getting into Heaven have to do with anything?~_ Three queried.

"Anybody with the mark of the beast doesn't get into Heaven," One replied. "But there's no reason Nine should worry. If he's a true Christian, he should get in."

 _~But I have the mark…~_ Nine whispered brokenly.

"Yes. But it's in the wrong spot," One said pointedly.

Nine's head jerked around then he spun to face him. _~What do you mean?~_

One smiled. "The mark of the beast is to be found only on the forehead or right hand. Yours is on your back. It's not in the right spot, therefore it is null and void."

Nine stared in shock then lit up like the sun, dancing with One for a few seconds as tears gleamed in his eyes. One grabbed him and kissed him.

"We love you, Nine. Please go put on some clothes. Then join us in the kitchen so we can decide on pizza.

Nine picked up his towel then hurried into his room. He put on boxers and jeans then reached for a shirt. He hesitated. The hesitation was strange—usually the shirt was the most crucial part of his wardrobe—but he was also hesitant to just walk around with no shirt on. He finally swung his cloak on without putting on a shirt. That done, he joined his friends in the kitchen. They smiled at him.

"What kind of pizza?"

 _~Cheese. Only cheese. As much cheese as possible.~_ Nine said.

Seven cried out in triumph. "Finally we can get plain cheese!" she laughed.

"The rule is at least two people have to want it," Zero said in response to Nine's surprised expression.

"Alright, so we've got two pepperoni, one pineapple, one carnivore, and one extra cheese," One recited, getting nods in response. "Good, now what's for dessert?"

 _~Brownies!~_ the twins exclaimed.

"Cookies!" Six laughed.

"Cinnamon sticks!" Five argued.

"Cheesecake!" Eight put in.

"Dessert pizza!" Two said happily.

 _~Why not get all of them?~_ Nine asked after a pause. _~If we're keeping with the two per thing, it only makes sense.~_

He was looked at for a moment, and he felt his phobia itching at him, but then they looked away, and One called and ordered. They retired to the living room to wait for the pizza. Nine relaxed back for a few minutes before he felt eyes on him. He blushed and ducked his head. Three and Four sat on either side of him, each wrapping an arm around him.

 _~May we ask you something?~_ Three asked gently.

 _~I suppose so.~_ Nine replied.

Four gently tilted his head back and rested his hand on the brutal scar on his throat. _~What happened here?~_

 _~The guy who carved my back didn't want me screaming.~_ Nine said, hands twitching toward his hood.

Three and Four gently pulled the hood up and let Nine cuddled into them. Everybody was staring at him in horror.

Two approached and ducked down to look at the scar. He shook his head.

"They destroyed your vocal cords."

 _~The damage was irreparable.~_ Nine sounded so blank like it must have hurt. _~I almost bled to death. I wish I had. Then I would be in Heaven, not down here mute and scarred.~_

"But then you wouldn't have met us," One said matter-of-factly. "And I do believe you enjoy knowing us."

Nine smiled. _~Yeah. You guys are worth it, I guess.~_

"What were you like…before?" Seven asked, moving to sit beside him.

 _~Different.~_ He said wistfully. _~I was happy. I enjoyed life. I had a good friend and understanding family. I became a Christian when I was thirteen. God became everything to me. Every conversation, I brought him up. Everything I wrote would display his love, his touch._

 _~I read the Bible through the first time, and was rather curious about Revelation. This book didn't display love like the others. It displayed it, but not in the same way. It also displayed judgement. I studied it for a month or two, then revealed my findings at school. I told them of the judgement of Hell that awaited them. Tom didn't like that. One night we were at a party. It was a New Year's Eve party. I didn't want to go, but Tom made me. I finally said I wasn't going to stay any longer and started trudging home. Tom stopped me a few blocks from home. He was in a car, and Timothy and Ron were with him.~_

Nine shivered, tears flowing down his hooded face. One looked ready to stop him, but Nine pressed on. _~The first thing Tom did was slice at my neck. It's a miracle he didn't get my windpipe. Tim and Ron held me down while he carved me. By the end I could barely move, barely think. It hurt so badly. Then…they left me there. Just left me to bleed to death in the snow. If Angelique hadn't found me, I would be dead. I woke up in the hospital._

There was another pause. _~Things were never the same after that. Tom had posted pictures on the school website, and the entire school knew. The kids told their parents, their parents told their friends. Soon the whole town was in the know. Most people thought I deserved it. I was already weird to them, with my green energy bursts, and my knowing their pasts. Tom was cool with all that, but when I became a Christian, I became 'too good' to be with them. I just didn't want to sin anymore. I remember Tom laughing while he carved me. 'Now you won't get to Heaven, either, Joshy boy!'~_

Nine jumped at a knock on the door. One hurried to pay for the pizza and desserts then brought them to the tables. Seven grabbed the cheese pizza and happily reached for a slice. She paused then bowed her head.

"Bless this food, please. Amen."

One laughed heartily at her prompt prayer then they enjoyed their dinner. Nine tossed his hood back after a minute, and the others basked in their progress with him. Dessert was enjoyed just as much. They relaxed back afterwards. Seven shifted first, touching Nine's shoulder gently. Nine lazily opened his eyes.

"How did your good friend react?"

Nine frowned, sitting up. _~Tom? He carved my number into my back…~_

" _Tom_ was your good friend?" One gasped in shock.

 _~Yeah. Tom was my best friend. At least he was until I turned into a Christian. He didn't like me after that.~_

"Nine…I'm sorry," Five whispered.

 _~'Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.'~_ Nine said with a smile.

"Oh…What?"

"When people persecute you, don't be surprised. When you take part in the sufferings of Christ, rejoice, so that when his glory shows, you will be joyful," One translated.

"So you're supposed to _expect_ persecution?" Six demanded in bewilderment.

"Yes," One said with a nod. "They persecuted Jesus because of who he was, so of course they'll persecute his followers. We are not a part of the world."

"That makes no sense," Eight said, making a face. "Why would you willing choose that?"

Nine snorted then music filled the room.

 _"My Lord, I did not choose You,  
For that could never be;  
My heart would still refuse You,  
Had You not chosen me. _

_"You took the sin that stained me,  
You cleansed me, made me new;  
Of old You have ordained me,  
That I should live in You. _

_"My Lord, I did not choose You,  
For that could never be;  
My heart would still refuse You,  
Had You not chosen me. _

_"Unless Your grace had called me  
And taught my opening mind,  
The world would have enthralled me,  
To heavenly glories blind._

 _"My Lord, I did not choose You,  
For that could never be;  
My heart would still refuse You,  
Had You not chosen me. _

_"My heart knows none above You;  
For Your rich grace I thirst;  
I know that if I love You,  
You must have loved me first._

 _"My Lord, I did not choose You,  
For that could never be;  
My heart would still refuse You,  
Had You not chosen me."_

One smiled in approval. "Exactly. _God_ chose _us_. It can never be the other way around."

"Oh. So He forces you?" Two asked.

"No. Irresistible grace," One said patiently. "It means that when he calls you, you can't resist. That isn't forcing because you _want_ to do it."

They nodded, looking thoughtful. "Okay," Five said. "So what does this mean about us? Are we irresistibly called?"

One shrugged. "The thing about limited atonement is that we don't know who it's limited to. The stamp of 'saved' can be placed in your book until the second you die. Past that, your destiny is sealed. I personally don't think any of you besides Nine are saved at the moment. That's just the truth. Whether you will come to God, whether He has chosen you, is up in the air. I would personally like all of you to be saved, but you cannot force it. Religion without relationship is hard, empty work. Relationship without religion, or rules and guidelines, is how hellions are raised. Nine and I can teach you all we can, but whether your soil's fertile is another thing."

"Soil?" they asked in confusion.

One laughed, and explained the parable of the sower to them. They sat in silence for a while, considering this.

 _~So you guys don't hate me?~_ Nine asked, looking like a scared child.

"No, Nine. We don't hate you," One said, kissing his head. "Now, how did you play that music?"

Nine blushed. _~It's kind of like sound manipulation. I'm like a living tape recorder. I can play almost anything throughout history as if it's happening right now. Audio, visual, or both. I can also manipulate any voice to any other voice. I could make Eight sound like Seven if I wanted to.~_

"Can…can we hear your voice?" Seven asked. Nine's wall went up and she held her hands up. "No offense! I promise! I just want to hear what you sound like…"

 _~No.~_

And that was the _final answer_. The mood had shifted drastically with that one little question. Nine was no longer relaxed. He stood up and tossed his hood up again.

 _~I am going to bed. Do not disturb me unless I have another flashback.~_

With that he went to his room, and they could hear the door slam hard. Seven was mortified as everybody turned to look at her.

"I-I just wanted to hear his voice. That's all. Why does that matter so much?"

Four grabbed her, and Three tilted her head up. _~We are mute.~_ The lower number said softly. _~There is something in a voice for us. It is hard to verbalize for somebody who has a voice.~_

Four nodded. _~A voice means you're heard. A voice is a way of conveying information, important or trivial or personal. The rise and fall of a voice, inflections, pronunciations, accents, it is something we have studied intensely. That was a very personal question to ask a mute person. You need to apologize.~_

Seven nodded. "I didn't mean to be insulting or rude."

"I think, Seven," One said gently, "that Nine was more hurt from your question than anything else. It is a way of saying, to him at least, that you are unsatisfied by the way he communicates now. That you would prefer the way he was before. That he's not good enough the way he is."

Silence fell again. Several minutes later, Seven got up, swallowed her pride, then went to apologize to Nine.


	7. Report Cards

Time passed and the school year started again. Nine was enrolled in his junior year with Five and Seven. Three, Four, and Six were sophomores. Eight was a senior. That ended the high school roles. Zero, One, and Two were all college students. Zero was a career student who was working on computer degree, One was studying to be a counselor, what kind he didn't really care, though he was sure it wouldn't be children's what with the way he talked to people, and Two was waist deep in med school.

Nine went to his classes, and he could feel them _looking_ at him. One wrote out a special gym pass for showering separately from the other kids, and Nine took it gratefully. Five joined him for some excuse that Nine couldn't be bothered to remember, but it was really in case he had a fit. And Nine had learned that whenever Six showed up at the door of his classroom, he needed to follow him as fast as possible because his world would fill with static and pain very shortly.

School was very stressful for him. He had quit school when he was a short way into his freshman year. He had missed almost two years of school. Gym was decent. He was very athletic, and enjoyed the sports, though if somebody purposefully came in contact with his back, he would get ill fast. The math was destroying him, but he didn't ask for help. The Biology he disagreed with intensely, so he continuously got bad grades from arguing with the teacher. The History class was aced with no problem. Music was good, sort of, as he loved music but didn't understand how to read it or write it. And then there was Art. He didn't understand Art. One day the teacher wanted a realistic picture, the next something so freaky that it could be a part of his 'frazzled' visions, the ones with nothing but shapes and colors.

Nine was handed his report card at the end of the quarter, and he had to get One's signature on it. All the way home, the others were talking about how good they were doing. Nine walked in and tossed his sealed report card on the table then went to sulk in his room. Just before dinner, there was a knock on his door. He flicked his wrist and opened it. One stood there.

"Where's your report card?"

Nine shrugged, keeping his eyes on the floor.

"Nine. Bring it to the table. You will read it to all of us."

 _~I'm mute.~_

"You know exactly what I mean. You're probably not doing that bad. A C is fine, Nine."

Nine blushed and retrieved his report card as they went to the dinner table. They ate spaghetti with garlic cheese bread and sweet tea to drink. Dessert smelled like chocolate cake, but they couldn't have any yet. One finally pulled out a printed sheet and everybody went silent. Zero and Two pulled out sheets as well.

"Nine, we do this from the least number to the greatest, so you're last."

Nine nodded, internally flinching. _'Great, they're saving the worst for last.'_ He sat there as Zero recited a list of A's in classes that Nine knew would make his head hurt. One's and Two's reports were the same, except for one B in One's Statistics class.

"Sorry about that one," he said with a smile. "I have no mind for numbers."

Three and Four both got five A's and two B's, but in different subjects. Five got six A's and one B- in Gym class. Six unfolded his and boldly proclaimed an A+ in Art.

"With several excellent comments," he added proudly.

"How did you do in Earth Science?" One asked, which deflated Six quite a bit as he muttered that he'd received a C-.

"I'm trying, One. I am. But science is so…so _fact_ based. I deal in unreal things."

"And Algebra II?

"B-."

"You're improving. Good job. What are the rest?"

Two more B's and two high C's. Seven was brilliant and had aced almost everything…except driver's ed. Some students had to take it in their first semester as a junior, and others the second. She had gotten a C, which clearly made her miserable. Nine was getting more and more miserable by the second as each grade read counted down to his doom. Eight slowly opened his grade report, blushing hotly. Nine felt bad because he hoped Eight had done awful.

"Come on, Eight. It can't be that bad," One said soothingly.

"Um…I got an A+ in Music." He paused, needing to hear approval. One gave it to him. "Gym is an A+, too. Chemistry…I'm sorry. It's a D. The numbers make my head hurt…"

"What were your options?" he asked, sounding disapproving.

Eight looked down. "I needed another science. It was either Chemistry or Physics. My grade would have been even lower in Physics."

"I agree. We will have Three and Four help you with your Chemistry homework. Continue."

"I had to take Home Ec. this year. I got a C+. But at least I didn't blow up the kitchen…again."

"That's a good grade. You are no magician in the kitchen, but we could survive off of your steaks and burgers for years."

Eight beamed at that then looked down again. "I'm taking French. I got a…a C+ in that."

 _~French is a delicate, complicated language.~_ Nine said, flipping his hood up as people looked at him.

"Do you know it?" Six asked curiously.

 _~I know multiple languages.~_

"Oh, then why aren't you in a language class?" Five asked.

 _~I didn't get to choose my classes.~_

There was a long pause. "You didn't?" One finally asked.

 _~No. I didn't. I showed up and they slapped a schedule into my hands. I don't like what I'm in.~_

One held up a hand. "Finish your list, Eight."

Eight got a B in Government and an A- in woodshop. One patted him proudly then all eyes turned to Nine. He pulled his hood farther up again, ducking his head.

"Oh, come now, Nine, tell us what you have. There's nothing wrong with C's."

 _~Maybe I didn't get C's.~_

"Nine, tell us what you have."

Nine shook his head and One raised his staff threateningly. Tears slipped down Nine's face as he responded.

 _~Gym: B+. Algebra II: F. Biology: F. History: A+. Music: D+. Art: F. English A+.~_

They stared at him. He hadn't even touched the envelope his grades were in. One took it and opened it quickly. The grades on the paper were the grades that Nine had said. He set the paper down on the table, going over to Nine. He tried to tilt his head up to look at his face, but Nine actually _bit_ him. Hard enough to draw blood. One swore and Two was up in an instant, grabbing a first aid kit; he kept one in every single room of the house, and had his own version of one up in his room. While One was getting doctored, Nine ran to his room, locking the door with his power. He then shut the lights off and curled up under his blankets, still wearing his cloak and shoes. He licked his lips and tasted copper then wiped the rest of the blood of with the back of his hand.

An hour later there was a knock. Nine ignored it. The knock was more insistent. Then a pounding the third time. The handle was tried and One swore.

"Damn it! Six, break it open! He's locked it!"

"There are no locks on the doors, One," Seven said blandly.

"There's a reason he's asking _me_ to get it open," Six said, kneeling down and placing his hands on the door.

"Oh. Right."

Six focused on breaking the power, but as he pushed in there was a _bang_ and a surge of energy slammed into him and forced the breath from his lungs. He wheezed, doubling over. One banged on the door with his staff, and each time it hit, the others were fascinated to see green ripples going out from the impact point. Six got up when he could breathe again, and he and One held hands. There was a pause then power erupted from them and tore through Nine's 'lock' effortlessly. Six opened the door and flicked the light on. Nine was hiding beneath his covers. They could see him shaking. They walked in, sat down in their spots, shut the door, and turned out the light.

One uncovered Nine, drawing off his hood and taking the cloak off entirely. Nine shook harder, misery flowing freely between all of them. Eight began to sing a little song for him, helping him relax. Nine took One's hand when he had stopped shaking.

 _~I'm sorry I bit you. I just…I didn't want you to look at me.~_

"That doesn't mean you resort to physical violence," Two scolded. "Just tell us you don't want us to see you. We'll understand."

 _~I'm afraid you won't listen.~_

"We know about your fear," One said quietly. "And I forgive you, Nine. Just tell us. Just tell us and we won't take off your hood. Okay?"

 _~Okay.~_ He paused. _~Do we have to talk about my failures?~_

"I wouldn't call them failures," Eight said helpfully.

 _~What does F stand for?~_

No answer. Eight finally crawled over, touching Nine lightly. In the light of the alarm clock, Eight saw Nine turn toward him.

"I've gotten F's before, Nine. It isn't pleasant, but all we do is try to help each other get through them. They don't think you're stupid or anything. You just told us you know multiple languages. And those comments from English class!"

"Comments?" One asked. "What comments?"

"Would you mind, Nine?"

 _~I…I don't think so.~_

Eight sat on the bed next to Nine and pulled him close. He cleared his throat. "'Nine is the most magnificent student I have ever had. His grasp of the English language is stronger than mine. He writes eloquently about every topic you could think of. His darkest works are comparable to Poe's in the art and mystery he uses around them. I wouldn't be surprised if he writes his first novel before he even graduates. I wouldn't put it past him to already have a novel or two written, tucked away for a time when he is more ready to exercise his creativity freely. For despite the beauty, there is a restraint from him in each and every thing he writes. In spite of that, his writing enthralls me and those I show the papers to. Don't hesitate to nourish this trait, David.'"

There was silence then Six laughed. "That kinda sounds like my art teacher!"

"Or my music teacher," Eight said with a nod.

"Or my gym teacher," Seven said.

 _~Math.~_ Three said.

 _~Science.~_ Four replied.

Five blushed. "I don't really have a teacher that says that to me…"

 _~You're good at everything, Five.~_ Nine said with a smile. _~So you're not disappointed?~_

"More concerned than disappointed," One assured him. "Now…Eight can help you with music. Three with math, Two and Four with biology, and Six with art. The rest of your grades are no problem. Now, let's go have cake."

Nine was in the kitchen with the others before he realized that his cloak wasn't on. He froze, and the others did, too. But the stares that they gave him didn't really bother him as much as they should have. So he slowly relaxed and sat down. They all smiled encouragingly at him. He gave a hesitant smile back. Then picked up his fork and began to eat the delicious cake that Zero had made, feeling extremely happy.


	8. How Did They Find Us?

Seven had been avoiding him, and he wasn't sure why. He didn't take offense though. He loved her enough to give her her space. Nine was alone in the house when there was a knock on the door. He opened it, and his good mood decided to leave when he saw… _them._

Nine was damn sure that this was a bad dream. Lily and Phillip looked at him imploringly.

"Is Jonathan here?"

Nine saw their eyes dash to his neck and he ducked his head. He shook his head hard then slammed the door. Nine used his power to make the walls translucent and he watched as Two's parents walked over to a group. He saw his own parents, Mikaela and Garrett. He saw Mary and Russell, Seven's parents, and her sister Anabelle. Eight mother and father, Cathy and Robert were there, and Robert was glaring at the door. Amber, Three and Four's orphanage director was there. Six's parents, Ambrosia and Cade, were talking with One's father, Charlie. Five parents, to Nine's immense surprise, were there with a little girl. Nine did a flash to check names. The girl's name was Lucy, her father was Clyde, her mother Coral.

 _~ONE! GET EVERYBODY IN HERE! NOW!~_

Within a minute, everybody had sprinted out of the backyard to him.

"What's wrong?!" One demanded, then his eyes fell on the group outside through the still-translucent wall. He didn't know most of them, but his eyes picked out his father with ease and he paled, feeling ill. The others concurred.

"How did they find us?" Six moaned, trying to crawl into himself as his eyes flashed green. Grey. Green. Grey. Green.

Nine swallowed. _~I did a flash. We should have completely wiped Tim and Ron's memories. They told my parents where they saw me. They looked into it and found out your names then found your parents, or orphan director.~_

"What do we do?" One moaned, sinking to the floor.

"You're the leader!" Two spat angrily.

"Don't you get snippy with me!" One growled. "Your parents are probably the ones that found us!"

Nine watched them as they all began to argue. Nine turned and left the house, and his parents cried out in delight and rushed him as he shut the door. He sent out a burst, leaving them on the ground, breathless. Everybody else backed up a few steps. Except for Ambrosia and Cade.

"Did our son teach you that?" the woman asked.

Nine shook his head and made a few signs.

"What? Speak up boy!"

"Josh is mute," his mother said as they got up. "There was an…incident."

 _"That is what you call me getting brutalized?"_ Nine demanded with his hands, eyes on the ground.

"Son, what else are we supposed to call it? It was just an accident," his father said.

"How _dare_ you?!" One shrieked, the door hitting the inside wall and no doubt leaving a hole.

"Excuse me?" Mikaela asked, taken aback.

"What those boys did was no _accident_ ," One said, mocking her on the last word. "That was a brutal, disgusting, horrendous display of heathenism if I have ever seen it!"

"How do you know?" Garrett demanded. "You don't even know what happened! Joshua refuses to talk about it!"

"Maybe if you weren't such terrible parents," Seven said, going out to stand by her leader, "he would have talked to you about it."

"We are not terrible parents!" Garrett barked.

"Then why did he run away?" Six demanded, hiding his body behind Eight as the rest of them filed out. "If you're not all terrible parents, except Amber, Lucy, and Anabelle, of course, then why did we run away from you?"

"Because you're stupid?" One's father asked blandly.

"Father, if you don't leave, I'll tell the police that you were the one who shot me," One said, his face a stony mask. Charlie snorted.

"You can't prove that."

One gestured at Nine, who smirked and waved his hand. A green mist appeared around his head and he cried out in shock.

"Stop it, freak!" he screamed, trying to bat away the vision. Nine flicked his wrist to make the gunshot ring out again and again. Nobody could hear it but Charlie, but it was clearly driving him insane.

"You killed your wife with one bullet and tried to take your son's life with another," Six said as Nine stopped the vision at a gesture from One. "You might know how wrong that is now, but it's too late. One is ours and he will always be ours."

"Son…" Ambrosia said softly.

"Do you believe me?" Six asked flatly.

"Andrew didn't do that," Cade said firmly.

"At least three random fits a month say you're wrong," Two said, wrapping his arm around Six's shoulders. "As a med student, find his and Nine's cases fascinating."

"Son," Lily said, but she was cut off by Garrett.

"You're making light of it, too!"

"No, he's not. That is his nickname. He approves," One said, Nine nodding in agreement.

Garrett and Mikaela looked angry. "So when we ask about his scars, he says no, but you ask about it and get to call him _Nine?_ "

"We care. You don't."

That was the final straw for them. They started yelling at One. Charlie joined in. Soon everybody was yelling in a wild free for all. Three, Four, and Nine couldn't participate in the yelling, so they stood there, heads lowered. Nine picked out random words and phrases. Most of them were curse words. Nine twitched then turned and went back into the house. Three and Four followed. Amber followed. She shut the door behind her, and placed her hands on Three and Four's shoulders.

"Are you two happy here?"

 _"Yes, ma'am,"_ Three signed. _"One has put in the paperwork to be our guardian."_

"I know. I gave him permission. I just had to make sure that you don't regret coming here."

 _"No, ma'am. We don't. Would you like lunch? We can make you a sandwich or something."_

"One sandwich. Then you'll probably never see me again."

She walked to the kitchen with them while Nine ran to get his cloak; he had been improving on not needing it, but with so many who wouldn't understand there…He happily flipped the hood up, sighing in satisfaction. He went over to Eight's sound system, which could play everything from 8-tracks to MP3s thanks to Zero, and put in one of his CD's. He sat back and listened to how he should press on and follow God. He heard the door open and shut and didn't have to open his eyes to know his parents had snuck into the house. The music was turned down.

 _"I wouldn't touch Eight's system."_ Nine signed lazily. _"He'll beat you black and blue for it."_

Garrett shook his head. "Son, you need to come home."

 _"Not happening."_

"Why not?" Mikaela asked.

 _"You laughed like everybody else. You don't believe it was unpardonable. Tom is out there laughing it up, proud of what he did to me, the insufferable Christian vermin who said one thing too many about him going to Hell."_

"Then don't tell people they're going to Hell," Garrett muttered.

 _"Well, both of you are."_

"We go to church every Sunday!" Mikaela gasped.

 _"That doesn't mean you're going to Heaven. You two are materialistic. You curse all the time. Once in a while seems okay to me, but you two curse like sailors. You never talk about God. Just a skim over your life shows that you aren't saved. And to top it all, you don't care that I was carved like a Thanksgiving turkey. You just don't want to cause a fuss. Get out of my life. Forever. I forgive you for it, but I never want to see you again. Understand? Go."_

The door opened and slammed shut, Seven running in. She looked around desperately, spotted Nine, and was in his arms in seconds. Nine was bewildered, but held her as she cried.

 _~Insensitive assholes?~_ Nine asked gently.

"Y-yeah. They think I should apologize to him," she whimpered.

Nine looked up at his parents then gestured at the door. Garrett and Mikaela frowned.

"Are you sure you want us to leave?" his mother asked.

Nine nodded, and struggled to sign around Seven. _"I like it here. They love me. I'll be fine."_

Mikaela kissed his face and Garrett patted his shoulder. Then…they were gone. Nine felt a huge bubble of relief burst over him, and he held Seven tighter as he led her to a couch. She looked up at him, orange eyes hurting. That's a pretty color, Nine thought, brushing her hair out of her face. She suddenly lunged up and kissed him. Nine gasped in shock, but soon got into it, curling their tongues together. She jerked back quickly, blushing and crying again. Nine felt like a moron.

 _~I'm sorry, Seven. I was an ass. I've never kissed anybody like that before. Hell, I've never even been kissed before.~_

"I… Can I tell you something?" she asked, sounding embarrassed.

 _~Of course.~_

"I'm afraid of you."

Most people would have had a stronger reaction, but Nine was used to living with strange people, so he simply asked, _~Why?~_

She shifted, hiding her face in his neck. "I'm falling in love with you. That's my phobia. I'm afraid to fall in love again. I lost a lot the last time. My mind. My heart. My virginity. And the last one wasn't willing."

 _~I would never rape you Seven. I would never force you to do something you didn't want to do.~_

"So you'll date me?"

Nine considered this. Seven was a young believer, but she was learning fast. The twins had turned and had bombarded her with facts until it made perfect sense to her, so she gave in to the Holy Spirit with no more fight. He thought over this for a minute then looked down.

"Of course I'll date you."

Seven froze and looked up at him, her mouth slightly open and confusion in her eyes.

"Nine?"

"This is my voice, Seven. This is what I sounded like before they cut my vocal cords to pieces."

She slowly smiled. "I like it. But I love you talking into my head more. It's closer."

Nine relaxed, kissing her forehead. _~No more kissing like that until we're married. Light kisses are okay, but nothing heavy like that. Too much temptation.~_

Seven nodded. "I wouldn't feel comfortable with it anyway. I felt weird when we kissed before." She paused. "I'll try to spend time with you, but I'm afraid of this as much as I want it."

 _~We have all the time in the world. Take it as slow as you want. But we have to tell the others.~_

"Agreed. And thank you. I…I don't know what sex will be like. You know, once we're married."

 _~We'll cross that bridge when we get there.~_ Nine soothed then gently kissed her lips. _~Good?~_

"Y-yeah. Mostly. Maybe let _me_ ease into it?"

 _~Sure. But your cheeks are mine.~_

She laughed. "I think they're the twins', too. And the others' as well."

 _~I know. That's why that one's safe.~_ Nine pecked her cheek.

"Yeah. That's better."

Nine nodded as the twins led Amber to the door. She said goodbye, kissing their foreheads, then she left. They smiled at each other then noticed Seven's position. They were there in an instant, asking what was wrong. Seven told them about her parents and Anabelle. Both of them were outraged and drew her close. She glanced at Nine then pulled away.

"Can we tell you something?"

 _~Of course.~_ Three said gently, Four smiling encouragingly.

"Nine and I…I've decided to try and date again…I hope that's okay?" Seven looked nervous.

They blinked, looking between them for a moment then Four shrugged.

 _~We don't mind, Seven.~_ He said. _~Just take it slow so you don't have a panic attack. Know that we're here to talk to, and that goes for both of you. Relationships aren't all easy, not even ours. It takes work. But overall, have fun, within reason of course, and be safe.~_

Seven nodded, kissing their heads. "I will definitely need to talk. I'm scared."

"Why are you scared?" One asked as the others trudged in, Zero behind them.

"How did it go?" Seven asked.

"We got them all to leave," Two sighed.

"You mean _Zero_ got them all to leave," Five muttered.

"He was an outsider who could see and think and talk clearly about what he wanted to," One said. "He was just trying to help. Now, Seven, why are you scared?"

"I…Nine and I…" she blushed, hiding her face again.

 _~She wants to try dating me.~_ Nine said, his own face warming at the incredulous looks from everybody else. Two touched her lightly.

"Seven, you know that it's going to be terrifying for you?"

"It already is," she sighed, sitting up straight. "I realized I was falling in love with him two weeks ago. I've been avoiding him. But…I don't _want_ to. I feel like I _have_ to."

"As long as you're sure," One said. "Then I have no problem with it. We're here for both of you. But no sex until you're married, and we need to establish boundaries."

 _~Of course.~_ Nine said. _~But right now, I'm hungry.~_

"I have a headache from all the yelling," Zero grumbled. "So I'm not cooking."

"Who wants takeout?" One asked.

Hands went up, and One brought out the choices. "Chinese, Mexican, Thai, Italian, or American."

 _~Italian?~_ Nine asked while everybody was thinking.

 _~Mm, pasta and alfredo sauce.~_ Three purred.

 _~Or red sauce!~_ Four argued.

"Ravioli!" Seven laughed.

"Lasagna," Six offered.

"Any objections?" One asked the other four, who shook their heads. "Fine. Here is the menu. Pick what you want."

One ordered ten minutes later then they sat down to wait. Seven was squirming.

 _~Seven.~_ Nine said gently. _~You don't have to sit by me if you don't want to.~_

"I need to tell you something. All of you."

She sounded ashamed. One went to sit by her, and she looked up at him.

"I haven't even told you this."

"We're here. We're right here," One said softly.

"I…When Kaiden raped me, I…I got pregnant." She gauged their reactions. They were confused and surprised. "I didn't want to raise his child. I got an abortion then stole money to get my tubes tied. I forged my mom's signature to do it. I…I can't have kids."

Nine nodded. _~I know. I saw you do it the night after you had it done.~_

"Do you hate me?" She was clearly terrified of that.

 _~No. I don't hate you. We can always adopt. Besides, I can understand it, though I don't condone it. I do believe that you need to ask for forgiveness, though. Abortion is murder. Murder of the unborn. You have broken God's law. Shh, don't cry. I know you didn't think that way. It's okay. I'll pray with you if you want.~_

"We all will," One said, getting nods in return.

"Okay."

They bowed their heads and One, Nine, then Seven prayed. It was tearful and emotional, but when they said 'amen', Seven didn't feel so bad. She felt as if a weight had been lifted from her. There was still regret, sure, but it was tempered with…grace? She thought that was the word. There was a knock on the door, and Zero, One, Two, and Five stood to pay the man and get their food.


	9. I Forgive You

It was Christmas morning, and Nine was up cooking breakfast. There was baklava and doughnuts and pancakes and bacon and eggs and toast with jelly and jam, and several other dishes from other countries. Six yawned as he walked in then froze, inhaling deeply.

"Oh, wow! I didn't know you could cook!" Six exclaimed as Zero came in, looking around, clearly impressed.

 _~Yeah. But Zero cooks so much that I haven't gotten the chance to show off. I beat him up today, though, and I got everything I needed last when we went to the store on Wednesday.~_

"Well, if you wanted to cook for us, we could alternate days. I would like to learn the recipe for that right there, though. It looks delicious. But did you get the turkey in the oven?"

 _~At 4:00 this morning. It should be done by supper. The ham needs to go in in a couple hours.~_

"You've been up since four?" One asked groggily, rubbing his eyes as he sat at the table.

 _~I went to bed early last night. It's no trouble.~_

The others joined them and they sat down for breakfast.

"What's this?" Five asked, pointing at a bowl.

 _~Birchermüesli. It's from Switzerland. It's raw oats and grains topped with dried and/or fresh fruit and served in milk or yogurt. It's better than you think it would be.~_

"Oh. Okay. And that?"

 _~Changua, a milk, scallion, and egg soup. That's from Bogota.~_

"What about this?" Zero asked, gesturing in front of him; it was the last strange dish.

One answered this time. "That is shakshuka: eggs cooked in a spicy tomato sauce served with pita on the side for dipping. It's from Israel. I suggest you try it. I certainly enjoy it. But first we must say grace."

Saying grace had become a regular thing. As seven of them were Christians at this point, they were well used to it. Two, Six, and Eight were reluctant to trust God. Two because he had trouble understanding the sacrifice, Six because he didn't understand why he had such terrible visons, and Eight was just being cautious. They were observing the changes in Zero, Three, Four, Five, and Seven, and that was working on them. One was also acting different than he used to, proof of the renewal of God's work in his life. Three and Four were also working on them with their unassailable logic. But it was their decision and they all knew it.

"Father," One said, holding hands with Nine and Two. "We thank you for this meal. We thank you for each other. We thank you for sending your son down to this Earth to die for our sins, which is the true meaning of the holidays. We pray for your return, yet hope you hold it off for those who need to come to you still. Bless us as we celebrate this time together, and may you bring peace to all those here. In Jesus' name. Amen."

They began to eat. They hadn't even taken their first bite when there was a knock on the door. One stood to get it, but Nine checked who it was then leaped up.

 _~I'll get it. I need to talk to him.~_

"Oh. Alright, hurry back."

 _~It might take a few minutes.~_

Nine hurried away, leaving his friends staring after him.

"He didn't sound right," One murmured. "Seven, go watch them."

There was silence, everybody straining to hear something, but they were too far away. At least, they were too far away to hear somebody speaking in a normal tone. Seven's scream of outrage was plainly heard and they jumped to their feet, sprinting for the living room. Seven had a giant knife against the boy's throat, and she was cursing like a drunken trucker. Nine was tugging against her, and One slammed his staff down.

"Seven, come here!"

"No!"

"Who is this person?" Eight asked Nine, cracking his knuckles; if Seven was this pissed, it wasn't good.

Seven answered. "This is the asshole who gave Nine his scars!"

Hellfire seemed to shoot out of the others' eyes and One stalked forward, red eyes practically glowing in rage.

"How dare you come here!" One barked, poking Tom's chest.

"I had to."

"Why?"

"I need to apologize."

That floored them, taking the heat out of everybody, including One, Seven, and Eight. They stared at him.

One narrowed his eyes. "You think an apology will take away Nine's scars? You think an apology will make the fits go away? You think an apology will take away the phantom sensations, the flashbacks, or the tears?"

"I know it won't." Tom was looking at the floor. "But I have to say I'm sorry. I was drunk. I'd never been that drunk before. Or since. I gave up drinking. I gave up drugs. I gave up parties like that. I'm sorry, Josh. I am. It took me forever to track you down. Your parents refused to tell me. Forgive me, Josh. Forgive me, please!"

Nine smiled and embraced him. _~Of course I forgive you, Tommy. I do feel better. I'm not completely healed, but my friends are helping me. I appreciate you coming and apologizing. Thank you.~_

"Nine!" One gasped in horror.

 _~Yeah?~_

"Y-you're projecting! To _him!_ "

"Projecting?" Tom asked, looking up. "You mean talking in my head? Yeah, he did that even before I…" His eyes dashed to Nine's throat. Nine smiled, drawing his hand up to touch the ragged scars. Tom swallowed. "He did that since the moment we met. He didn't do it with anybody else, but he did it with me."

 _~Aw, BRAIN.~_ Nine laughed, releasing his hand. _~You've always been special.~_

"BRAIN?" Zero asked. "Why did you call him that?"

"I made up this idea for a machine. Binary Reactive Artificially Intelligent Neurocircuit. BRAIN for the acronym. Josh thought it was brilliant and started calling me BRAIN," Tom explained.

"That sort of technology isn't possible. Yet," Zero said, looking thoughtful.

"I don't care. Josh likes the nickname, so it stuck."

 _~Stay for breakfast?~_ Nine asked, glancing at One.

"Sure. If they don't mind. Hey, can I call you Nine, too?"

Nine nodded eagerly. _~By the way, how are Skull, Talon, and Fang?~_

"Who?" Five asked.

Tom laughed. "My pets. I have a pet cat that I rescued. Its skull was exposed when I found him. I have a pet Falcon that I also rescued and trained. Then I have my adopted wolf. Fang. Nine named all of them."

"Well, let's eat before it gets cold," One said; he had watched Tom throughout the whole conversation and projected to all of them that he was telling the truth. They liked him more now.

They ate a hearty breakfast as BRAIN, as they all now affectionately called him, explained to Nine what he'd been missing. Nine talked about his travels around the world and his schooling. The others sat there silently, taking in the strangeness of the day. Nine wrapped his arm around Seven as they stood up.

 _~And, having to save the best news for last, this beautiful girl is my girlfriend!~_

BRAIN looked over her appreciatively. "She's lovely, Nine. What's her name?"

 _~Seven.~_

"I meant her real name."

 _~None of your concern. If she wants to tell you, that is her business.~_

"I don't trust you yet," Seven said before he could ask.

"Understandable. I'd better be going. My flight leaves in three hours."

Six's eyes flashed. "It's going to be cancelled. Icy runway."

"I don't have any money for a hotel room!"

"No problem. Go into town and tell the front desk girl to put it on Jasper Embry's tab. Once she calls me to confirm, you'll be put in a nice room," Zero assured him.

"When will he be rescheduled?" One asked Six.

Six's eyes turned green again. "Tomorrow evening."

"That's fine then. I'll give you some money for food. Chung's is always open on Christmas day. It's right near the hotel."

"Which hotel?" BRAIN asked. One informed him then they sent him on his way. He looked at Nine.

"Merry Christmas, Nine. He has risen."

One's jaw dropped as Nine laughed. _~That's Easter. But he has risen indeed anyway!~_

"Damn. I'll never get this Christian stuff."

 _~BRAIN?~_

"Yeah?" He turned around, smiling broadly.

 _~Give me the pictures.~_

"Pictures?" Seven asked. BRAIN hesitated then slowly pulled out two crumpled pictures. Nine took them.

 _~Goodbye. And I forgive you. Don't linger on it.~_

With that, BRAIN went out the door. Nine was smiling, and he couldn't help it. He grabbed Seven and pecked her on the lips, surprising her.

"Nine!" she gasped, touching her lips.

 _~I'm sorry! I'm just so happy! Did I scare you?~_

"No, you didn't. That was…nice, actually."

Nine was pleased. They had been taking baby steps in their relationships. Lip locks were still forbidden for him to instigate. This was progress.

"What pictures did you take from him?" Seven asked.

Nine handed them over. She paled, looking away. They were passed around, and they made them all do the same. One was last to take hold of them.

"Do you remember this?"

 _~No. I don't remember him taking the pictures. All I know is they had been up on the school website for a day and a half before they were taken down. He printed these out to remind him of how terrible he is. I hadn't really seen the pictures before.~_

"You will probably have nightmares."

 _~I do anyways. I've seen the whole thing in flashback visions. He actually cleaned most of the blood away to take the pictures.~_

"Let's not talk about this anymore. It's Christmas," Two said. "Unless you need to?"

Nine shook his head, and Three and Four walked over to the real tree to sort through the presents.

"Three and Four are Santa!" Seven exclaimed, and they hurried over to open presents. There were nine for each of them. Or there were supposed to be. When everybody had opened their presents, Five noticed first.

"Hey, Nine, did you get us something?"

Nine shook his head. They were surprised.

"I don't mean to sound greedy, but why not?" Seven asked.

Nine blinked. _~I didn't_ get _you something. I_ made _you something.~_

"Where are they then?" One asked.

Nine went around to the back of the tree and pulled out nine presents. He read the labels and handed them out accordingly. The others were intrigued. The packages were light, wrapped in plain paper. They looked at each other then opened them slowly. What could Nine have made for them? Seven got hers open first pulling out a cloth. It was long, so she stood. It unfurled to reveal a cloak like Nine's, adjusted for her size. She gasped in wonder as everybody else stood with theirs as well.

Each cloak was a different color Zero's was a rich purple, One's a beautiful red. Two's was a mesmerizing blue, like the deep ocean on a clear day. Three and Four had all the colors, only Four's was reversed from his brother's. Five's was emerald green. Six's was a shimmering grey, like silver. Seven's was orange, and Eight's was black. They stared in wonder at them for a while then Five blinked.

"They match our eyes."

"They…They do!" Two exclaimed.

"Oh, Nine this is the best present ever!" Seven exclaimed, kissing him for a few seconds. He beamed.

 _~I'm glad you like them. I couldn't think of anything else to get you, so…~_

"So you gave us a part of yourself," One said fondly. "They're perfect, Nine."

He swung his on, the others following suit. Flipping the hoods up, they laughed about it. Nine watched them, and flipped his hood up. Not because he didn't want to be seen, though he would always have that fear. No, this was companionship and fun that had him do it.

They loved each other. They truly did. And no matter what happened later, they were together. Seven pressed against him, kissing his cheek. Nine smiled. He was home.


End file.
